England to defend ODI title against New Zealand.

After a long layoff, the defending ODI champions England will start their preparations for the 2023 World Cup with a four-match series against 2019 runners-up New Zealand, starting on Friday (September 8).

Contrasting Preparations for England and New Zealand

The opening World Cup game will be a critical dress rehearsal for England, who have not played a 50-over game since March this year and have played only six ODIs so far this year. New Zealand, in comparison, have played 13 games in 2023, including two trips to Pakistan and three matches in India where the World Cup will be played.

England's Strong ODI Return

With a near full-strength ODI team for the first time in several months, England will be hoping to hit the ground running in their bid to emulate the success of Eoin Morgan’s 2019 side. The batting order will be led by the familiar faces of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali. England also have Harry Brook, who will look to use the opportunity in a last-ditch effort to make it to the World Cup squad.

Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid, who were also part of the 2019 team, will have key roles to play with the ball. Other bowlers in the mix include Reece Topley, Sam Curran and David Willey, depending on the combination England opt for.

The Reconfigured New Zealand Squad

New Zealand, who did well to come back in the T20I series to level it 2-2, will be looking to take that confidence into the 50-over format. Their bowling attack has a familiar look, with Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner in the mix. However, the batting lineup is a completely different outfit to the one that played in 2019. Ross Taylor has retired, while New Zealand have also moved on from Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, James Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme.

Tom Latham is the new skipper and a key player in the middle order. The likes of Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Henry Nicholls, along with the captain, will be hoping to offset the absence of Kane Williamson, although the former skipper is likely to return to the side soon. The focus will also be on Kyle Jamieson who has been largely impressive in his comeback from injury, although he did have an expensive outing in the final T20I.

Squads

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.

Tom Latham (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Will Young.